"You wouldn't."
"You know I would."
Nick sighed and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"You can't be happy Nicky...that's not allowed."
"Why can't you just get on with your life? I'm so surprised the county lets you keep that little boy when everyone knows you are so incapable of taking care of him."
"Nick..I want the money or I go public."
"Yeah, we'll see about that.," He said before hanging up.
Nick was stressed about something and it was beginning to bug Isabel. He had barely said two words to her since he came home and locked himself in the basement. She knew it had something to due with that girl, Jennifer, whoever she was. He said he didn't know but she knew that Jennifer was someone to him but she didn't know exactly what.
She finally found the key to the basement door and unlocked it before walking down the stairs. Nick was hunched over the desk, papers thrown all over it. He was reading something and appeared to be concentrating very hard on it. He didn't hear her come in.
"Nick? What are you doing?"
His head shot up and he hurried to cover the papers, "No..nothing, why?"
"You've been down here most of the night and have barely said anything to me..what's going on?"
He appeared nervous, he wasn't a very convincing liar. "Nothing's going on Isabel."
"Bullshit."
"Why can't you just let me figure out things on my own for once?!"
"I am Nick..but...oh nevermind."
"No..what?"
She sighed and closed her eyes, it was now or never and he was either going to close up and not say anything or he was going to explode. "I want to know who this Jennifer woman is and why she has such a profound affect on you all of a sudden. Because two days ago me and you were fine and we were beginning to talk about having a family Nick and now, I don't know who you are anymore."
"Isabel...please..don't ask me about her just yet..I can't tell you."
"Well..I want to know."
"No, you don't, trust me."
"Nick, I am your wife and we are married. We aren't supposed to keep secrets, no matter how great, from one another."
"I have to keep this one thing from you...just for a little while...till I know it won't hurt you in any way."
He had stood up by now and was standing above her, his hands on her shoulders. He was pleading with her and she had never seen him like this. "Do you promise..you will tell me?"
"One day soon, I promise you Isabel."
"Okay...I'll let this go for now."
He looked so relieved that he looked as if he'd start to cry or something. "Thank you so much...you don't know what this means to me."
'You're right Nicky, I don't know what this means to you..I just hope and pray you tell me yourself.,' she thought as he hugged her to him.
"So, there's no way I can force her to do a paternity test?," Nick asked his lawyer, David Moyers, the next day.
"Not that I know of. She can force you to take it but so far, she hasn't said anything about one. Are you positive the child is not yours?"
"I'm absolutely positive."
"Okay Nick...I'm taking your word on this one. Does Isabel know?"
"No, and I'd prefer for her not to right now."
"She'll have to find out sooner or later, preferably later I know but Jennifer may go public soon."
"That's what I'm afraid of...she won't even wait for me to give her the money."
"And even if you give her the money; she may still go public because she knows it'll ruin your marraige."
Nick put his head in his hands, "Why is she doing this now? Just when my life was PERFECT she crawls her way back into my life."
David shook his head, "I don't know Nick..but there has got to be some way to really find out if that kid is yours or not..and I'll figure it out. You just need to figure out a way to tell Isabel, and I mean soon Nick. This info. could leak and become public before you can blink."
Nick nodded, "I know..thank you David."
"You're welcome, I'll call when I know something more solid, okay?"
"Sounds good."
Nick left David's office feeling a little more at ease about the situation. Now all he had to worry about was Isabel.
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